The bad weather passes, the good weather comes — adversity is temporary; after difficult periods, better times follow as surely as summer follows winter. A proverb of cyclical hope, rooted in the observation of natural seasons.
The Sicilian seasons have a particularly dramatic quality: the summer heat and drought of July and August, the sudden dramatic storms of October and November, the soft green miracle of spring when the whole island blooms with wildflowers. The farmer lived inside these cycles with the certainty that they would continue: the drought was terrible but it would end; the storm was violent but it would pass; the spring would come. This seasonal knowledge was mapped onto the seasons of human life with the same certainty. The proverb was the Sicilian formula of resilient hope — not denial of the present difficulty but certainty about its temporariness. 'Malu tempu' = brutto tempo (bad weather/hard times), 'bonu tempu' = bel tempo (good weather/good times).
A Sicilian proverb of cyclical resilience rooted in the island's dramatic seasonal weather patterns. 'Malu tempu' = brutto tempo/cattivo momento (bad weather/hard time), 'bonu tempu' = bel tempo/periodo buono (good weather/good time). Widely used as a formula of consolation.
Consoling someone going through financial hardship
Lo so che adesso è durissima. Lu malu tempu passa, lu bonu tempu veni — bisogna tenere duro ancora un po'.
I know it is very hard now. The bad weather passes, the good weather comes — you need to hold on a little longer.
An elder speaking of recovering from war
Dopo la guerra pensavamo che non si sarebbe mai ripreso niente. Lu malu tempu passa, lu bonu tempu veni — e invece l'Italia è rinata.
After the war we thought nothing would ever recover. The bad weather passes, the good weather comes — and instead Italy was reborn.
Encouraging someone going through a health crisis
Questo periodo è difficile ma non è permanente. Lu malu tempu passa, lu bonu tempu veni — e tu hai già dimostrato di essere forte.
This period is difficult but it is not permanent. The bad weather passes, the good weather comes — and you have already shown you are strong.
A farmer after a failed harvest looking toward next year
Quest'anno il raccolto è andato male. Lu malu tempu passa, lu bonu tempu veni — ci riproviamo la prossima stagione.
This year the harvest was bad. The bad weather passes, the good weather comes — we try again next season.